Sleeping Beauty
by Akino K
Summary: At night the dog watches a sleeping goddess and starts to think. AkiGure, spoiler for chapter 97


Title: Sleeping Beauty

Author: Akito no K-chan

Summary: Shigure watches Akito sleep and muses…

Pairing: ShigureAkito

Disclaimer: Natsuki Takaya owns Fruits Basket and we're all happy about it.

Note: This doesn't really have a point, I fear. I've read the lyrics of "I'd lie for you" by Meat Loaf and I just couldn't resist writing this. It's just the impression I've got… It was the first fiction besides my drabble collection that I wrote for and I just revised it. It would be nice if you left a review.

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– Sleeping Beauty –

"When she sleeps she is beautiful…"

Shigure cocked his head to one side and blinked. Where did that come from? Strange… Beautiful, eh? Well, was she? Sure, she looked more relaxed than ever, but was that beauty? He watched her more closely; the way the strands of black hair fell around her pale face and all over the closed eyes, and everything. But _was_ that beauty? Was it something he could tell her?

She shifted, a frown creeping onto her face. What troubled her so much that it followed her into dream world? Hatori had told him, that she had had bad dreams in the past week, something about her past coming back to her. It didn't really make sense to him: If it came back, then why only now? Why not sooner, at a time that might have changed something?

He caught his hand, before it could touch the pale cheek. He didn't want to wake her, so he'd better not do this. She was too beautiful to be woken up just like this.

The bad thoughts eased away with the minutes, proving him right in not waking her. Her face softened and he felt his heart beat viciously in his chest, for the first time in about a month. Again, he reached out for her, shivering, almost touching her lips with his fingertip. Almost. She didn't sense him, so why he couldn't bring himself to continue, he could not fathom. Somehow it didn't feel right to do this, to touch her when she was asleep. To him it seemed as though he was betraying her and he didn't like this feeling.

He drew his hand back, ironically waking her with the movement so close to her skin.

Dark eyes searched the room for a second, although he couldn't think of anything she would expect to see. She blinked at him two times and he allowed a sad smile to come to his lips. While she could be called cute easily enough at such a moment, although the emerald orbs weren't as cold as at other times, it still was no comparison. It was nothing like her beauty asleep.

"Is something the matter, Shigure?" she asked and he slowly shook his head.

"No, nothing, Akito-san. You can just as well sleep on." But her eyes had found his. "I was just thinking. It's not important." He managed a halfway honest smile and bowed his head. "I believe I should go now. It is already early morning." He got up and was about leaving the room, when a soft call held him back.

"I want you to stay. You can leave later." She sounded firm but friendly. There was no need to be unkind yet, as she understood it.

"Akito-san, I really should be going." She was silent to this, so he slowly turned around toward her. She was merely looking in his direction, not even at his body at all; chin resting on her arms, which hugged her knees to the small chest. She sure looked lonely that way. He didn't doubt she knew this.

He sighed and came back to her. She avoided his eyes in a kind of sulky gesture.

"Akito-san…" he said in a low voice. "You know that I mustn't be late. I cannot risk the children to know about this. What do you believe them to do if they knew? I don't want to leave, but I have to." This was almost like pleading, it occurred to him, but she only nodded in agreement. "Maybe someday…"

This was something he was used to say quite often these days: Maybe someday. Maybe someday we can risk it to let someone else notice. Until then… "Well, good bye then, Shigure." Thank all the gods that she was so tame tonight.

"Good bye, Akito-san. I'll try to come by again this week, but I can't promise anything. I'm sorry about this." She was probably angry with him, for she turned away and pretended to fall asleep. He did not argue with this. It was understandable after all, somehow. "Sleep well." He walked over to the door again and was already half-way out when he heard her whispered reply, so quiet as if she was not sure herself whether or not he should hear it, and wanted to let fate decide.

"It's just that I'm lonely here without you." His heart skipped a beat and he swallowed dryly. Well, it could not be helped anymore.

"Sorry." He closed the door behind himself. So, she was lonely? But he could not rush back to her side that easily. He could not let the mask of indifference slip away. That was bad timing, really, although she didn't know it. On the inside he swore on himself and his stupidity. "Great…"

When his house came into view again, he carefully slipped his mask back in place, just to be sure, in case someone saw him.

Owari


End file.
